United States Books

This is a must have book for your library. After over 30 years you forget why you hated Vietnam until you read a book that brings back all the memories. This is such a book. I served with 1/1 and 3/1 after these battles and am amazed that keith Nolan is able to bring to life what it meant to serve in a Marine Corps Infantry Bn in Vietnam. I got angry, I laughed and I cried as I read this book. At times I felt like I could reach out and touch some of the people, the writing was so vivid. Everyone should read this book and remember what the Marines paid in blood for that war. THANK YOU USMC for what you gave me and THANK YOU Marines all over the world protecting us now.

This is one of the best combat depictions of the Viet Nam War that I have ever read. I highly recommend it for former military readers.

My friend Beetle was there. Lee Burns was there. Others were there. Nolan writes almost as if HE were there. It happened before I got in-country, but it was a legendary fight by legendary Marines and Nolan tells the story so very well. I am proud to have helped carry these Marines in my helicopters and supported them in every way possible. They are heroes in the truest sense of that so misused word. This book is an EXCELLENT read!

Keith Nolan has managed to capture the absolute confusion and fear associated with modern combat in Operation Buffalo. I started this book in 1997 or there abouts and was unable to finish it. As a former Marine who was in boot camp in San Diego when this operation took place I had a difficult time with the content. Lose an entire company of Marines to a sly enemy? Impossible. And then to read about the loss of additional Marines in trying to recover the dead and wounded (something that is very important by the way) that had fallen the day before....difficult. I just couldn't finish the book.

Well, I picked it up again, after ten years, and read it completely. In a very belated way I have to compliment Mr. Nolan on not only his ability to tell a difficult story, but to tell it in a way that makes sense and then manages to touch the heart. As another reviewer stated, Operation Buffalo hurts the heart of the reader and this reflects the sensitivity that the author weaved into his tale.

The doctrine at the time was that the Marines divided an area in to map grids. The Marines would sweep a grid with a company, clear it, and then move on. The NVA would wait for the Marines to leave and then move into that grid knowing that they were probably safe for a while. The battle that took place in July of 1967 is the result of the Marines out smarting themselves. They decided to sweep the same map grid twice, trying to catch the NVA off guard. It worked. But a single company was no match for what the Marines stepped into.

The American fighting man has been depicted in less than a glowing manner in Viet Nam. Brutal, drug crazed killers. I think while some of that may be deserved, the bulk of that criticism is undeserved and is served up by people who have never humped a pack or shared water out of a canteen. Nolan does a huge service for the Viet Nam vets by explaining the sheer meaness of the NVA in how our wounded were treated. Well done.

Operation Buffalo isn't a book for the weak of heart or for those who don't really want to be informed. It is a book that speaks well to the commitment of American fighting men in general and of U. S. Marines in particular.

Semper Fi.

This is as terrifying an account of the Vietnam war as I've ever read. Forget the melodrama and sensationalism that characterized much of Vietnam war literature in the early and mid-eighties: Nolan's sparse style and clear representation of what took place on the DMZ in the summer of 1967 will give you nightmares. Don't look to find refuge here in a simple war story: Nolan tenaciously presents history as it unfolds.

This time John McPhee turns his hand to one of those
anomalous natural treasures that has survived in
spite of intense urbanization. The Pine Barrens are
two-thirds of a million acres-an area the size of
Yosemite that sit beside a major artery of the most
developed region in the country. With the New Jersey
Turnpike to the west and bustling, chintzy Atlantic
City to the East, it's hard to imagine that this great,
weird wilderness could be so little known.

McPhee is the perfect guide to the Pines. He is as
sensitive to the natural history as he is to the
culture. He has a sympathetic ear for both the natives
and the outsiders who wander in from time to time. He's
a writer who can focus on a detail-a threatened fern or
the quality of water and then pull back to the big picture.

A thoroughly entertaining book.


--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the novel bang BANG. ISBN 9781601640005

I'll keep this short and sweet: McPhee's The Pine Barrens is an entirely outstanding, fascinating look at the unique area that is the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. McPhee covers Piney culture, the unique ecological nature of the region, its history, and its hidden treasures. The writing is poetic and rich, the people interesting, and the information detailed, thorough and never dull. A really great read that anyone living in NJ should get.

I have read many of John McPhee's works. They are all excellent and captivating. He writes on so many subjects, it is amazing that they are all great. No wonder he teaches at Princeton, or did as I remember.

Those of us from the Northeast know that wilderness can be found if you're willing to hit the road and search for it, and also that it's precious and worth protecting from the onslaught of industry and sprawl. But even those familiar with the region's wilderness offerings will be surprised by the natural bounty and remoteness of New Jersey's Pine Barrens area. The masterful essayist John McPhee published this travelogue and study of the area back in 1967, when the depths of the Pine Barrens still offered genuine seclusion form the outside world, with hardy folks still living off the land by picking berries or making charcoal. And this beautiful area was surrounded on all sides by the most urbanized and industrialized blight on Earth. Things aren't quite so rustic there anymore, but reading McPhee's engaging treatise on the area should make modern folks wish to both visit the Pine Barrens area as a valuable slice of nature, and to protect it as a precious and dwindling resource. That's what makes this short but lovable book from the great McPhee a timeless classic for nature lovers. [~doomsdayer520~]

My wife gave me this book in 1978, and I devoured it in one evening. I have since been all over the world, and no matter where I go, the pines are always the reference point for me. My teen years were spent in the pines, with my good friend Tom, where we would travel its dirt roads, canoe its streams and fish its lakes, and hike its trails and roads. Mr. McPhee weaves a story that is so true, so historically rich, and for me, so reminiscent of the years of my youth. Please read this book, and then go and make your own memories.

The book is incredibly detailed, offering everything from identification of proper techniques and forms (what they look like and how to fill them out) to deconstructing a crime scene. Everything regarding a homicide was covered, and if you believe you know everything from CSI, you should realize that one of the author's chief concerns was often discrediting the show and blaming it for the increased difficulty in apprehending suspects.

The one fault I have with the text is somewhat poor editing, which is treated by the author has having been done on purpose. There are sections of the text that are repeated, verbatim, in other areas as if the section were moved to better correspond to the flow of the chapter but never erased. Geberth says this was a function of making readers better understand what was being stated, but it didn't feel that way for me. Still, the book was informative, and a must-own for any writer interested in accurately depicting a homicide.

[...]

This is the most expensive book I've bought, but it's well worth it. It's full of content and covers many topics. It's recommended to anyone from an enthusiast to anybody involved with law or law enforcement.

This was a great textbook, very helpful. Only thing, it's really graphic. Some of the pictures may be offensive to some people.

although the author has a fixation for weird sex deaths and spends more time then they are worth for an investigator in most areas, this is the best overall book i have seen for laying out a thorough investigation and peripheral issues. i wish more law enforcement officers used this book--rank, too--rank on a scene or in front of a camera can be like a bull in a china shop.

Vernon brings many years of experience to us all in his book so that we do not make the mistakes others have made.

A very well done book. Big glossy pictures of some of the greatest Baseball artifacts in America. Probably the closest I will get to seeing these in person.

As a lover of the old days of baseball (prior to the 1970's) , and with an interest in various types of artifacts pertaining to the old days, this book wonderfully broadened my horizons. The sections on baseball cards was especially fascinating for me as i do some collecting to add to some as i had as a kid (50's-60's).
would recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in the old days of baseball or collects baseball memorabilia.

This beautiful book belongs in every baseball enthusiast's library, but it would be a mistake to keep it on the shelves. Author Stephen Wong has partnered with the Smithsonian to publish the most stunning book on baseball on the market. It deserves to be on your coffee table not only because of its wonderful photographs but also due to the wonderfully rich way he presents the history of the game. Wong gained remarkable access to the sport's foremost collectors, combing through hundreds of images and memorabilia items. The payoff is tremendous for anyone with an interest in baseball or, for that matter, in American history and culture. Readers will learn the essential facts about the game, and the fascinating tidbits, such as the origins of the curve ball. They then get to see remarkable shots, some most unusual - from folk art statues to Don Larsen's enshrined shoes from his perfect game to the bricks of former stadiums. In fact, this book should be placed in the Hall of Fame!

I purchased this as a gift and the recipient was thrilled with it. I did sneak a peak before giving it away and enjoyed it immencely.

Stephen Wong has created a drop-dead gorgeous look at some of the game's great artifacts, and many will be surprised to learn that they are not at the Baseball Hall of Fame nor even at the Smithsonian (despite the book's title). The game's artifacts extend way beyond the cards and gimcrack collectibles sold at the ballpark, and Wong has deftly toggled his focus from collectible to collector and back again, providing a memorable prose portrait of the lively game played off the field. I cannot recommend this brilliantly conceived book highly enough.

A very good read - very unflinching in terms of sexuality - quite bawdy in places.

What a trip! We just moved to the South a few years ago (First Atlanta, now the Delta), and I'm wishing someone had recommended this a while back. It helps with so many things! All the contradictions, the unexplained rules, the assumptions and the wacky productions...King helps it all make sense, with great humor and flair. If you enjoy this, I also recommend Gayden Metcalfe's books: Being Dead is No Excuse (about funerals in the South) and Somebody is Going to Die if Lily Beth Doesn't Catch that Bouquet (Southern weddings, obviously). Enjoy!

This book was delivered earlier than expected. I had read the hardback copy which I lost through loaning it. The book is about southerners and for an southerner, it explains all the people I have come to know.. I know every character described in the book.

This is my second reading of this book, separated by 15 years. I fondly remembered it as an hilarious work, yet this time halfway through I realized that I, and most of my family, lurk in the pages. We Southerners have families loaded with women who "go to pieces" and men who think they still live in the Middle Ages. We have legacies of spoiled, sassy belles and proud, wounded gallants still fighting the War Between the States. Sometimes we leave Mama's house shuttered for decades because "she never wanted her things disturbed". That which would cause hardly a concern in Omaha becomes a major issue in Richmond. Although the names change the cast is the same. It's all here, and none of it is made up-each character continues to thrive by the thousands in the South. If you want to understand Southerners you cannot just eat burgoo and wine jelly with custard-Southern Ladies and Gentlemen is a must for any true aficionado of this beautiful culture.

Indispensable for both natives and transplants. Absolutely the best analysis of the Southern mindset that I have ever encountered -- I'm a native -- and a dangerously funny read to boot. Ms. King writes with a caustic wit wrapped in an ever-so-delicate velvet glove. I quote her insights often, and almost always end up having to get yet another copy to give to someone. The South really has its own flavor -- from Faulkner to Foxworthy -- and Florence King has it all neatly summed up. Everything I have read of hers so far is worthwhile.

This book covers it all, from the beginning all the way to the end. A great read, couldn't put it down. Historical accurate and very touching, two thumbs up!

To my knowledge, no other comprehensive presentation of the Pacific theater brings home the chilling reality of the US Marine Corps island campaign as Strong Men Armed by Robert Leckie. It's all here: the frenzied horror of amphibious assault under massed fire, the slogging through sodden, malarial jungles, the hand-to-hand slugfest required to rid each island of an entrenched and implacable foe, and the truly uncommon selflessness that led to a multitude of Medal of Honor recipients.

Gaudalcanal, Bougainville, New Britain, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and other Pacific assaults are presented in detail from the perspective of enlisted and commissioned marines. Both infantry and air wing receive their due as Leckie is equally skilled at describing the Marine Corps aerial domination of the Japanese fighter and bomber.

I've read my fair share of WWII history and it is in awe and suspense that I ripped through this gritty, sometimes ghastly, yet ultimately inspirational book. Leckie's Strong Men Armed is a military masterpiece. I cannot offer a stronger recommendation. 5+ stars.

Robert Leckie's vivid account of WWll Marine Corps history is a must read for any military enthusiast. Reading this gripping tale of Leathernecks fighting their way through the steamy jungles of the far east isles with such distant names as; Guadacanal, Saipan, and Iwo Jima, will leave you with an unequvical respect for the valient men who sacrificed their lives for our country. As a former Marine I have a greater appreciation for the price that was paid in the Pacific Theater. This book will never let me forget the cost in blood and lives my beloved countrymen paid, so that we may have our freedom. Leckie's book memorializes our fighting Marines: Men like, Manila John Bastilone, Chesty Puller, Red Mike Edson, and countless others who,"went above and beyond the call of duty", for the love of our country, God, and Corps. STRONG MEN ARMED, should be read by every boot, NCO, and Commissioned Officer of the United States Marine Corps as a reminder of the heroic and gallant sacrifice our Marines paid for our way of life. May the Marine Corps live forever!

An excellent overview of the US Marine Corps campaigns in the Pacific against the Japanese. The author conveys the intensity of the violence and difficulties faced by both the marines and the Japanese. I had not appreciated how tenuous the Guadalcanal campaign was and how close to disaster it came. Leckie also outlines the gradual shift of the Japanese attempts to defeat the marines (i.e. 'win') to a strategy of inflicting as many casualties as possible, knowing they would ultimately be defeated, in the hopes that the US would be forced to negotiate a peace settlement. As I read the book, I was struck by the similarities with the present anti-terrorist campaign in Iraq. They cannot win in a classic military sense, but are willing to carry on in the hope they will inflict as many casualties as possible, breaking the will of the US. Overall, an excellent read and a very good reference for anyone's library.
JM Garrick
Cdr USN (Ret)

Robert Leckie is one of the best writers of history and this maybe his best work. This is a clear, concise, comprehensive account of the Island War in the Pacific. Clearly written, Leckie puts his reader into the picture while teaching, producing a potent combination of entertainment and learning. You can get hooked on history reading Leckie; I did as a teenager.

Robert Leckie lived many of these actions and his personal experiences makes the narration more real as the reader senses his feelings and experiences. However, this is a history not a personal account and we never get lead down the path of experience. This is the best account of the Island War ever written by a top-flight author.

The Unlit Path by Deborah Hannah shows an inspirational demonstration of courage, faithfulness, and forgiveness. I am not an adoptive parent, but was reading this from the view point of a parent, grand parent, and former educator. I can't personally relate with the sacrifices and heartbreak that some foster/adoptive parents face, but this book gives me sympathy and understanding of their challenges. I recently retired after spending 30 years in the classroom. I wish I would have had this book earlier in my career to help interact and understand children and parents who may have been experiencing children with R.A.D. and other difficulties . I admire the Hannah's Christian values and faith and admire how they allowed God to help them through their tears of heartbreak and frustrations. Their love for each other, their children, and their unconditional forgiveness is an example for all of us. Adoptive/foster parents, educators, and social workers would benefit from reading this book. The book is very well written. It's a real page turner. I couldn't put the book down!

As a foster parent this book was very realistic and hit home on a lot of levels.

I highly recommend this wonderful book!! I read it in one sitting; I simply could not put it down. The Hannah family's journey through foster parenting and adoption mirrored my own. My family started fostering children around the same time that the Hannah's did and we have experienced many of the same break downs in the child welfare system that they have. This book is a must read for anyone looking into the possibility of fostering children and also for anyone who knows foster families. The isolation foster families feel when everyone around them starts questioning their parenting, not realizing that the children are very, very ill and need to be parented differently is devastating. The journey towards healing and forgiveness is very uplifting and motivating. Deborah Hannah conveys her joy, betrayal, disillusionment and forgiveness simply and clearly. She gives us the message that life does go on.

This book is fantastic! It takes an honest look at the adoption and foster care system and the sometimes heartbreaking trails that come with fostering and adopting. I felt like Deborah was writing my story and the story of so many other families I know. I deeply appreciated her willingness to be transparent. For so many of us who feel alone in our struggles, this is a must read.

This was an amazing book!! I am currently on my way to becoming a foster parent, so I decided to read this book. I started reading it yesterday morning, and finished at 2 o'clock this morning. I couldn't stop reading. I cried while reading it, it was so sad, but I don't regret hearing the story. It needed to be told.

The author has a beautiful way with words, and the book was an easy read. It flowed very well.

I realize that this is standard reading for the USMC, but it is billed as a tome for the civilian as well. I found it a bit too general for tactics, both for personal protection, as well as for law enforcement. OK as a general overview of battlefield/global warfare, but not easily adapted to other uses.

Warfighting has a very rare characteristic for a book: it depictes much more than it expresses across its pages.

I'm a former Alumnus of the most prestigious Italian Military School (Nunziatella, est. 1787), and in a sense a bit of someone with the military gene inside, having had my grand-grandfather in the Army and my father in the Air Force.

Presently I'm a manager involved in the medical field, working for one of the top pharma companies worldwide.

Looking at this book with both types of spectacles, I found a very remarkable piece of work, which deserved a very special place in my library, side to side with groundbreaking books like "The Prince" by Machiavelli, "The art of war" by Sun Tzu and "About war" by von Clausewitz.

Warfighting depicts the operating modalities of a recognized military Corp, the US Marines, and gives precious insights to commanders, for example about how leveraging skills and manouvering when fighting against a numerically stronger adversary.

When simply substituting the words "officer" or "commander" in the text with "manager", Warfighting becomes a leading-edge manual about ways of conducting business in the modern world, by lean, mobile and highly professional organizations more than by the old-style molochs.

Only tens of pages, dense of significance, something you will never forget.

Amazing.

Good book to instill leadership qualities in your workforce. This should be the basis for required college course in all business degree programs.

If you're into winning any sort of competition, not just warfare, this is an excellent book to read, concise and to the point. You can read it in a few hours and be forever changed by it. My only criticism is that, judging from the endnotes, it leans a bit too much on Carl von Clausewitz and too little on modern thinkers such as John Boyd, a USAF fighter pilot whose impact on Marine Corps tactics is considerable and widely acknowledged. As the disasters of subsequent German history would demonstrate, war is not, as Clausewitz believed, diplomacy taken to a new level. Wars are much more costly and difficult to extract oneself from than a conference in Geneva.

Also keep in mind that it's not enough to win a war. You also need to win the peace that follows. During World War I and for several years afterward there was a fierce debate over how to make a peace that would last. Pacifists thought the world would come to learn that wars don't pay, an idea so absurd no one mentions it today. Internationalists thought the League of Nations could keep the peace, even though it soon failed its first test, a war between Poland and Russia that immediately followed the war. Militarists, a group little seen immediately after such a bloody war, continued to insist on the importance of bigger and bigger battleships. Even Churchill, although he later regretted it, thought for a time that disarmament would work.

In retrospect, there was only a few who got it right and the one who got it right the best was a popular English writer, G. K. Chesterton. In 1932 he would warn that Germany was going to find itself a dictator and that the next war would break out over a border dispute between Germany and Poland, precisely what happened in 1939.

If you want to win a war, read this book. If you want to learn how one war can be used to prevent the next war, read Chesterton, who bluntly wrote in 1917 that, "Peace without victory is war without excuse." Chesterton also gave some of the most telling arguments against pacifism ever put into print, noting that: "the real point against the cause of Pacifism is that it is not a cause at all, but only a weakening of all causes. It does not announce any aim; it only announces that it will never use certain means in pursuing any aim. It does not define its goal; it only defines a stopping-place, beyond which nobody must go in the search for any goal."

--Michael W. Perry, Editor of Chesterton on War and Peace: Battling the Ideas and Movements that Led to Nazism and World War II

Elegant in its simplicity, powerful and profound in its application -- this is a superb, practical primer on leadership.

After graduating from film school, I had no idea how to start my career as a writer in the film industry. "The Writer Got Screwed" not only showed my how to start my career, but showed me the different kind of careers which exist for Writers in the Entertainment Industry. Most books don't explain what WRITERS working in the entertainment industry need to know: THIS BOOK DOES. If you want to work in the legal department of a studio, take classes in copyright and contracts. If you want to work as a writer in the entertainment industry, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU.

Very few books explain how to start your career, the different forms of representation (agents, managers, and attorneys), how to protect your work (copyright registration vs. registering with the WGA), how to protect yourself (contracts-what do they mean?) and give lists of available resources (scholarships, WGA approved agencies, production companies, legal resouces/attorneys) for writers working within the entertainment industry--"The Writer Got Screwed" delivers on all of these areas. Whether you are working in film, television, feature animation, soap operas, or interactive, "The Writer Got Screwed" provides interviews with writers who work in these areas and valuable, RARELY FOUND, information regarding how these started their careers. This book is a terrific, must-have book for anyone who wants to write for the entertainment industry, and now is joined by a companion website at [...].

This book is one of those needles in a hay stack. It's not out there like all the other books for writers. But if you find it... you have found gold. It is written so that it is easy to understand and has tons of great information in it. A must have.

There are a lot of books out there on writing for the entertainment industry, but this was the one book that got me started. A lot of writers tend to pass around gossip and poor information, but this book set me straight from the beginning, and is now joined by Wharton's website/blog: brookewharton.com(rated in top 10 for film blogs). This is the one book that anyone writing for film or television should START WITH. I'm mystified by a previous reviewer who said that Wharton doesn't talk about the WGA (there's a whole chapter on the guild), and also that she doesn't discuss acquisitions vs. development (it's called spec sales vs. assignments in the 1st 10 pages of the chapter on writing for film). Clearly this person couldn't have read the book. If you need real answers, buy the book.

Given all the 5 star ratings, I expected better. Not that this isn't a good book, but it depends on the reader's sophistication. If you don't know anything about some of the basic legal and business aspects of the publishing biz, this book is a good start. On the other hand, if you're a detail oriented person who really wants to dig in deep into this subject, you may find the content a bit light.

Bravo! This book should be in every teacher's professional library! The world we live in today exposes children to the many ugly sides of humanity. Too often the people they look up to and aspire to become are not worthy of their devotion. Dennis Deneberg and Lorraine Roscoe have presented kids with an opportunity to meet real heroes. I use this book each year to define what it means to be a hero and to help 5th graders look beyond "famous" to see quality of character. This book inspires children to the best! Thank you Dennis and Lorraine! I am ready for the next edition!

Great Book --- I love the way it is written. It gives the reader not only information about a wonderful variety of American Heroes but asks questions about how the reader might be challenged to a higher standard. I'm looking forward to introducing my grandson to this book. I'm sure he will find many heroes in the book that he will want to find out more about.

As a 5th grade teacher in a mostly rural area, this book has allowed my students to get to know so many different American heroes. I was so impressed with the book myself, that I read the whole book cover to cover in one night! I have had parents of my students ask if their child could bring the book home so they (the parents) could read it and enjoy it as well. Our school wrote a grant in order to purchase about 50 copies of the book and it was probably some of the best money our district has ever spent! I highly recommend this book for readers of all ages - it's a gem!

My New Year's resolution..one of them, is to read more with and in front of my children. I brought this book home and read to them one or two of the figures. They LOVED it. We read from it almost every night now. They fight over who gets to pick the figure we read about and actually ask me to go and get it. It's really nice that they are learning about older historical figures but also recognize some of the faces they are reading about. I try to make my kids understand that great people are not born that way they are normal people who aspire to greatness. This is a great way to teach them that and then some!!

I read all these great reviews, so of course I got the book. It's good. I like that each hero has two pages, and the book is thought-provoking.

But it's slanted...

These _are_ good heroes to admire, but for the life of me, I can't think why a book like this would include Sandra Day O'Connor and exclude Clarence Thomas.

I prefer the Childhood of Famous Americans series -- the books are more in-depth and enjoyable, and more politically neutral.